Summary

With the banning of Sensei’s Divining Top in Legacy, it’s undoubtedly time for the slow-moving format to be shaken up. With Deathblade decks making a comeback and several combo decks seeing a rise in popularity, it could very well be time for a new control deck in Legacy, perhaps one featuring… the greatest thief in the multiverse.

Before we get to that thief, let’s go over the creatures in this deck. Baleful Strix, Deathrite Shaman, and Snapcaster Mage are all fixtures of Sultai-based midrange and control decks in Legacy. Baleful Strix is one of the best blockers in the format, as well as one a consistent 2-for-1 almost every time it’s cast, making it a near auto-include for this deck. Deathrite Shaman lets the deck leverage a mana advantage over the opponent, while providing a late game threat. Snapcaster Mage is another source of card advantage, and gets the extra bit of oomph out of the spells in this deck.

The last creature in this deck is Notion Thief. After all of the hype surrounding the Thief when it was spoiled, it hasn’t quite lived up to expectations. However, it can be a powerful tool against the format’s slower blue decks. The main reason for its inclusion, however, is its synergy with Dack Fayden. With both in play, Dack Fayden‘s +1 targeting the opponent makes them discard 2 cards while you draw 2 cards. It only takes this happening a time or two for the game to be completely out of reach for the opponent. Dack Fayden‘s other abilities aren’t irrelevant as well, and this flexibility allows it to be a 3-of in this deck with little to no risk.

The non-creature spells in this deck are fairly familiar and straightforward, but the deck can afford to play a wide array of spells due to its ability to churn through cards very quickly. Murderous Cut, for example, doesn’t see a ton of play in Legacy, but at 1 mana it’s a premier removal spell. Because the deck draws and filters cards excellently, the fail rate on Cut is decreased. While filtering through cards, Punishing Fire can willingly be sent to the graveyard and re-bought through Grove of the Burnwillows. This recursion element allows the deck to never run out of gas, which is a problem that control decks in any format can struggle with.